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[I H8 Memes]

Same plan as last gen. Pay big money for 3rd party exclusives early in the generation to sucker people into buying your console. Then leave them hung out to dry the second half of the generation with only a few 1st party releases and a bunch of Kinnect focused games to bring in the casual family audience.

 

[RaikuHebi]

It doesn't stop you having great exclusives.

But the PS4 is in part selling on the basis that we know that teams like Naughty Dog, Santa Monica, Guerilla, Media Molecule, Japan Studio, Evolution, Bend (possibly), etc, are going to make games for it, and they all have a pedigree. People feel like those studios are going to churn out some great titles, and they know for a fact that they'll never get those titles elsewhere.

When you buy exclusivity from a 3rd party, I have no idea what may or may not be available on your platform long term.

It's not hard to see why Nintendo and Sony are lauded for their in house studios and why it matter so much to gamers that they have them.

This is why people can't use games as an argument for getting an XBone. In the short-term sure, but in the long-term Sony are going to have a hell of a library.

 

[TheKastorian]

My question is: Will MS ever be remembered for creating gaming legacies like Nintendo, Sega or Sony?

 

[dragonbane]

I don't know how true it is or not but wikipedia has Beyond Two Souls listed in the group of IPs that Sony owns. It's not like Gears at all which has been rumored to come to other systems for a few years now, which would mean MS does not own the IP.

Yeah they own the IP. It's not a Sony studio though, despite being in a close relationship. But these kind of independent studios are very rare these days, so MS's attitude is still not very healthy.

 

[Pug]

Yup this is the problem I've had with them since they entered the industry. Their only solution to any problem is to throw gross amounts of money at it and let it fix itself. This is why I haven't had a 360 for the last 3+ years and why I'm not buying an XB1. When you leave the window even a little bit open for the majority of your games to go to other platforms I'm not dropping $500+ on a console I may end up not needing at all.

And buying or setting up studios is not chucking money at it? The problem I think many gamers have is that they think games like say Gears ended up on the 360 because they money hatted Epic. Reality is they would have asked Epic to make a franchise for them, yep it would have cost MS but it would have been a dam sight cheaper than buying the bloody studio. I see no big deal in the number of first party studios MS owns.

 

[Pie and Beans]

Yeah, why give creative teams security and foster their craft through the years without constant upheaval dragging key members back and forth across various corners of the industry.

Horseshit anyway because 343 was set up BECAUSE they no longer owned a certain studio that left a huge and vacuous gulf in their portfolio.

This is why I fucking don't trust MS in the industry at all. So short term focussed to the detriment of the entire medium.

 

[Tsundere]

my reaction

Kuroko sogood

 

[danwarb]

I think that's actually better than swallowing up good publishers and studios as both Sony and MS did when they bought in. Dismantling many.

Help otherwise independent small studios for exclusive rights to a game and the studio is only tied down for one game, rather than forever.

 

[THEF3AR]

My question is: Will MS ever be remembered for creating gaming legacies like Nintendo, Sega or Sony?

Halo... But that's about it. I would love Gears of War to be one but yeah...

Edit: and Forza is an arguably toe-to-toe game against Gran Turismo.

 

[Spirit of Jazz]

I don't see why anybody would have a problem with this statement, especially when you compare the success for Gears and Halo next to what's happened to just about every MS studio. What's the difference between throwing money at a 3rd party studio to make an exclusive and throwing money at a 1st party studio to make an exclusive?

 

[ClearData]

I don't think Microsoft has had much first party success outside of Turn 10 Studios and 343 Industries, correct?

There third party partnerships have netted them big sales among certain franchises but when those studios move on what happens to the series? Epic seems to have handed GOW to People Can Fly and it looks, sales-wise, that that series is in decline.

Then you have Rare and they are doing Kinect stuff. Which Microsoft swears to anyone who will listen that they want to do those games.

Objectively, I'm not seeing a great job with their IP. But as long as they crank out million sellers in Halo, nab exclusive COD deals, and turn out the odd indie darling they stay in the black.

 

[Prine]

im ok with this.

 

[abadguy]

Why not both?

Well they are doing both but people tend to ignore all the studios they have been opening in the past few years for some odd reason. As for OP there is nothing wrong with what he said.

 

[Skeff]

Idiot.

(I would express my thoughts but since on my phone on my way to work, I won't have time to elaborate before this thread gets too long).

It's cool man, I think your post was spot on with no real need to elaborate.

If owning the studio isn't important for making an exclusive why do i have mass effect, bioshock and saints row on my PS3? but not Uncharted, God of War and TLoU on 360?

 

[Kleegamefan]

Spoken like a company with short term gaming ambition

 

[Tain]

Remember when Microsoft Game Studios set up a Japanese branch and made one of last gen's best games? That was pretty great, even if it was eventually published by someone else in North America.

 

[WalkMan]

It's a very valid tactic because it allows them to secure hot games like Gears of War and Titanfall. A note to people in this topic who seem to fail at reading in their quest to make a quick dig at Microsoft - they also build their own studios, we know this, Phil acknowledges it, they've done it recently, see Black Tusk.

... And how many times have they given smaller risky games a chance? I feel they shop around for what they perceive to be the best games and instead of buying the game, they're actually paying to not have the game on the competitor's system.

 

[Commanche Raisin Toast]

Don't make your own games, find companies already making great games and pay them to not release on other consoles. Pushing your division further into the depths of red whilst your parent company keeps stupidly writing you blank checks.

To be fair, Sony also courts devs in a similar fashion, and once a relationship proves worthwhile for long enough they opt to buy them out. Sometimes not. MS will probably do the same this gen. (will probably buy the State of Decay folks)

 

[gofreak]

There is a lot of negative comments about Microsoft's strategy yet no one wants to say why is such a horrible idea. I understand drive by posts are the easy way out but it would be nice if someone would actually explain their opinion.

I think there's a bit of snark because to some people, MS has quite a bit to prove in terms of their longer term commitment to studios and game investment in general. Their track record is pretty inconsistent.

Their recent investment in some new studios of their own is good to see but it doesn't make a track record. It'd be nice if they're building a family of studios for the long term.

 

[PhatSaqs]

People need to listen to the interview to get a better perspective as to where he's coming from. WTH, of course that's not gonna happen. Carry on Gaffers..

 

[Steverulez]

But, it sure doesn't *hurt* to own and nuture talented studios. I'd feel better about the future of XB1 if I knew it had a ton of exclusives on the way. As of right now, I only see Titanfall.

This is ignorant beyond belief.

Halo 5 (343i)
Black Tusk game (name not announced)
Fable Legends (Lionhead)
Sunset Overdrive (Insomniac)
Quantum Break (Remedy)
Kinect Sports Rivals (Rare)
Killer Instinct (Double Helix/Rare)
Ryse (Crytek)
Forza 5 (Turn10)
Dead Rising 3 (Capcom Vancouver)
Crimson Dragon (Land Ho/Grounding)
Zoo Tycoon (Frontier Developments)
Below (Capybara Games)
D4 (Access Games)

Not to mention they have other new studios opened: MS Victoria, Lift London, Soho Products, MS Osaka. Also have Big Park, Twisted Pixel (Lococycle for XBO/360), Press Play (Max: The Curse of the Brotherhood for XBO/360)

If not a single game on that list appeals to you, then fine, but lets not ignore the facts that MS have plenty of exclusive games coming besides "Titanfall"

 

[drkOne]

Does Sony own most of the studios that put the Playstation brand where it is? No.
I see a lot of third-party studios partnering with Sony exclusively because they want to.

On the other hand, you look at the list of Xbox 360 exclusives (if the game is on PC, I don't need their console to play it) and it's just sad.
Main reason my console for next gen is quite clear.

They ended up losing their best exclusive, in my opinion, which was Alan Wake.
Makes me wonder if Dead Rising 3 won't get a PC version down the line. Same with everything that isn't Halo or Forza…

 

[Elchele]

Microsoft lost it long ago. Around when Peter moved to EA, everything shifted to stupidity in MS gaming division.

 

[TheJollyCorner]

Microsoft's huge output of great, exclusive X360 titles in the last couple of years seems to strongly support this argument.

 

[RaikuHebi]

My question is: Will MS ever be remembered for creating gaming legacies like Nintendo, Sega or Sony?

I made a thread about that a few weeks ago:
Will the Xbox brand ever have nostalgia associated with it?

 

[jet1911]

With the insane amount of studio that got closed this gen I have a feeling that "moneyhatting" games will be the way to go for a while. Independent devs will want to stay independent.

 

[SmokedMeat]

I prefer the strategy of investing in your own pool of internal studios, than buying a bunch of timed exclusives, which is what they did for the most part.

 

[bidguy]

he also said that he has enough money and ressources from ms to buy every studio and game he wants.

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

Ugh... And this is why I don't mess with MS.

This is their excuse. They are going to buy games for the sake of it instead of harnessing the talents out there to create them. I will say this again, Microsoft is not a gaming company and they don't have the passion of gaming in their blood. They have the passion of making you pay for things you shouldn't have to pay for just to put more money in their pockets for the sake of being better than someone else. Disgusting tbh.

Why would they go out and buy a studio when they can just collaborate with a second party? Microsoft gets a game that they want and the studio gets to go on about their business and make whatever they want. If Microsoft doesn't like an idea a studio pitches, we don't have to be deprived of never seeing that game because Microsoft didn't think it was a good idea, another publisher can put up the money.

 

[danwarb]

... And how many times have they given smaller risky games a chance? I feel they shop around for what they perceive to be the best games and instead of buying the game, they're actually paying to not have the game on the competitor's system.

No, they help fund development of many games, including some good XBLA games.

Studios pitch these games to MS and Sony for this reason.


It's better than buying studios so that everything becoming exclusive forever, and the same.

 

[silver.tongue]

You need to own studios to make great games.

You don't need to own studios to have great games though. You can set partnerships or straight up money hat some exclusives.

The verb here changes everything.

Was really a great interview.

It really was.

 

[dragonelite]

I rather have them build up an studio from the ground up.
Then buy a company and maybe meddle with the team dynamic.

 

[MogCakes]

Remember when Microsoft Game Studios set up a Japanese branch and made one of last gen's best games? That was pretty great, even if it was eventually published by someone else in North America.

I remember that studio. Which game did they make?

 

[abadguy]

This is ignorant beyond belief.

Halo 5 (343i)
Black Tusk game (name not announced)
Fable Legends (Lionhead)
Sunset Overdrive (Insomniac)
Quantum Break (Remedy)
Kinect Sports Rivals (Rare)
Killer Instinct (Double Helix/Rare)
Ryse (Crytek)
Forza 5 (Turn10)
Dead Rising 3 (Capcom Vancouver)
Crimson Dragon (Land Ho/Grounding)
Zoo Tycoon (Frontier Developments)
Below (Capybara Games)
D4 (Access Games)

Not to mention they have other new studios opened: MS Victoria, Lift London, Soho Products, MS Osaka. Also have Big Park, Twisted Pixel (Lococycle for XBO/360), Press Play (Max: The Curse of the Brotherhood for XBO/360)

If not a single game on that list appeals to you, then fine, but lets not ignore the facts that MS have plenty of exclusive games coming besides "Titanfall"

Wasting your time, the FACT that they have opened up all those studios and have a lot of first party content coming down the pike will be ignored and or dismissed becaue it does not fit their narrative.

 

[SmokedMeat]

Microsoft lost it long ago. Around when Peter moved to EA, everything shifted to stupidity in MS gaming division.

They remind of Atari after Bushnell left, and they were run by a bunch of suits. That's what Microsoft is to me today. The guys with a passion for the industry, that built the 360 are gone.

 

[VariantX]

I don't mind if they fund development of a title with a 3rd party publisher like they did with epic and Gears, its the exchange of money to block the release of titles intended to be multiplatform is what I'm afraid of.

 

[Steverulez]

They ended up losing their best exclusive, in my opinion, which was Alan Wake.
Makes me wonder if Dead Rising 3 won't get a PC version down the line. Same with everything that isn't Halo or Forza…

MS told Remedy they could do a PC version.

 

[paranoidfortean]

Even MS admits it: Rare makes bad games.

 

[Fox Mulder]

This. They got a good deal with Respawn that (apparently) Sony didn't want to pick up on, so there's a legitimately great game being made as part of their third-party deal with this developer. How many great games have been made thanks to them owning studios? Halo, and that's about it?

Though Epic is a weird example to use, since they couldn't own them anyway. Tencent already bought them, and they likely have far more capital to throw around than Microsoft's game division at this juncture. Epic's value was always more about the Unreal Engine than their ability to crank out Gears of War games, anyway.

Forza is always solid, but Forza Horizon is a great example of Spencer's point. It's a fantastic and fresh game with their established IP developed by an independent third party full of talented people.

 

[Derrick01]

Yeah they own the IP. It's not a Sony studio though, despite being in a close relationship. But these kind of independent studios are very rare these days, so MS's attitude is still not very healthy.

Yeah they don't own QD but my point was QD couldn't take Beyond and bring it to Xbox One or PC if they wanted to whereas Epic can with Gears once whatever deal they have with MS is up.

And buying or setting up studios is not chucking money at it? The problem I think many gamers have is that they think games like say Gears ended up on the 360 because they money hatted Epic. Reality is they would have asked Epic to make a franchise for them, yep it would have cost MS but it would have been a dam sight cheaper than buying the bloody studio. I see no big deal in the number of first party studios MS owns.

Well to me people are looking at this wrong when they argue that there is no difference, you're throwing money in both situations. The difference is when Sony has an exclusive I know it's going to be exclusive, at worst it will have a drastically worse looking/running Vita version. When MS has an exclusive half the time it's not even exclusive, it's on PC right away or will be a few months to a year later.

That being said I do think there's a difference between growing your own talent and buying games that were going to be on other systems to keep them away and deprive people of a game that they were going to play on some other system. It's the difference between the yankees buying every big name available and a team who grows their own talent through the minor leagues and clever drafting/scouting. One is a more sustainable method for the long run and doesn't piss off most of the fans.

 

[ClearData]

I don't see why anybody would have a problem with this statement, especially when you compare the success for Gears and Halo next to what's happened to just about every MS studio. What's the difference between throwing money at a 3rd party studio to make an exclusive and throwing money at a 1st party studio to make an exclusive?

Prestige, I suppose. That your studio made something in-house that became a gaming mainstay. That, and platform exclusivity for the game that should drive up adoption of your console.

Those early years of Xbox where it was known as the "Halo box" There is nothing inherently wrong with going the third party route but as a platform holder i think it is generally expected of you to have a deep bench of your own IP. Otherwise you can't really differentiate from the competition and don't look appealing beside the PC.

 

[Doffen]

Just need a hat made of money, imiringht?

Idiots.

There's a difference between founding/publishing deals and Titanfall moneyhatting.

 

[THEF3AR]

Forza is always solid, but Forza Horizon is a great example of Spencer's point. It's a fantastic and fresh game with their established IP developed by an independent third party full of talented people.

Hopefully Killer Instict follows that same thinking.

 

[Tain]

I remember that studio. Which game did they make?

Phantom Dust! Such a great game.

 

[Feorax]

Unless the Xbox one is at least on par sales wise with PS4 in a years time, I can see this backfiring horribly.

It was easy to make these deals last gen because of the 360 install base and the advantages of easy development and a better online infrastructure. MS can't guarantee any of that this time.

 

[hoos30]

This is like the fan bases of the Yankees and the Red Sox arguing about which franchise has the best talent acquisition strategy.

Yes, the Yankees go on the market and buy a lot of free agents and the Red Sox rely a little more on their farm system. But both teams employ a lot of free agents and home grown players.

Yet the fans can argue it for all eternity.

There are pluses and minuses either way you do it; what matters are the games.

 

[drkOne]

Sunset Overdrive (Insomniac)
Quantum Break (Remedy)
Forza 5 (Turn10)
Dead Rising 3 (Capcom Vancouver)
Below (Capybara Games)
D4 (Access Games)

If not a single game on that list appeals to you, then fine

Sure, I want all of those. The only I'd bet on staying exclusive is Forza though.
You reap what you sow.
Stuff like Bioshock and Alan Wake should've been exclusive. The overlap with PC games was way too big.
Having a PC, that overlap is much lower with Playstation exclusives… It makes the math fucking easy. I'll buy a X1 at the end of the gen for the games that stayed exclusive.

 

[The Atticus]

This is a perfectly fine statement that I agree with.

 

[Bronetta]

I'll never forgive Microsoft for what they did to Ensemble.

 

[abadguy]

Even MS admits it: Rare makes bad games.

Rare made great games last gen, their so called "fans" just didn't buy them.

Hopefully Killer Instict follows that same thinking.

From what's been shown so far i think it will.